IN A technologically advanced world enriched with the internet, the social network is our communicatory kingdom; it's two, particularly famous, leading websites, our rulers.

They allow us the freedom of constant, instantaneous contact with any of our friends anywhere in the world. They give us a platform to express ourselves for all to see (providing you have wifi).

But is this ease of access breeding a culture of emotional distance, and ironically a feeling of disconnection?

As humans; a social animal reliant on a clear societal structure, we have an innate need for emotional connection. This basic need is an evolutionary product brought about by the obvious benefits to our survival, seeking interpersonal relationships. Social interaction helps us better understand our own emotions and has become necessary for our psychological wellbeing. Despite the strength of the affiliation, the desire differs in people and fluctuates at different times of our lives. In theory, the need to communicate, to deeply, emotionally connect, lies within us all.

Modern technology has presented us with many new forms of communication; our net of connections has never been cast so wide nor seemed so strong. Nor have these connections ever been so constant.

Modern life; with its unique set of pressures and time constraints, has brought an increased necessity for "networking". Making faster and more frequent connections and maintaining a more public self-image has become possible and important.

Yet the social system has become more demanding and connections diluted.

It could be argued that the platform of social networking sites in particular, encourages many and frequent, shallower connections over deeper conversation. More focus is placed on self actualisation; with the ability to edit, broadcast and share what makes you seem a certain way under the pressure of an audience. Value is placed on how we are perceived over how we connect. Emphasis lies with the "self".

Though whether meant as self promotion or just pure self expression this occasional enhancement of reality can be enjoyable. Furthermore, the "selfie" is a bonafide cultural phenomenon. But this behaviour can be emotionally unfulfilling, even isolating.

The social network presents the pretence of constant connectivity, but maybe at the cost of intimacy. This could also lead to a lack of emotional sincerity; a lol in cyberspace doesn't necessarily translate to a laugh in the real world. Combined with the omniscient media, relentless with images of every extreme, the way increasingly we see the world through a screen offers a sense of emotional distance. For some there may be a desensitisation to real emotional projections. A sense of disconnection.

Recent reports from the mental health foundation suggest that loneliness among the young is increasing. It is possible that the cyber-social revolution may have counter intuitively been one of the factors involved in promoting this feeling. Aided by the way society has changed on all accounts, have our Darwinian desires, to some extent, been neglected?

A significant point in contrast would be the rise of internet dating and its increasingly common crusade for helping substantial relationships flourish, as well as the solace that the ease of internet communication can offer the socially anxious. For some, this technology could even be the saviour of the lonely heart, to others, merely a beautiful escape.

If a feeling of social or emotional disconnection exists, it would be more the fault of a possible culture being cultivated than the mediums used. A culture of instant gratification from constant connection and eventual dissatisfaction, of quantity over quality and of individualism placed in conjunction with happiness.

Whatever the case, it would be wrong to demonise or glorify technology for furthering behaviours that have always been apparent in society. Moreover, most of us are capable of maintaining fulfilling relationships and are not obsessively immersed in a virtual world. But the ways in which relationships are gained and sustained for most people has altered, for the better and worse in many different respects.

Whether or not this change in social structure, with the help of the modern, western lifestyle and the advancement of technology, is a main factor in an increased feeling of loneliness and disconnection, the fact still remains.

Comments

Is this a new phenomenon or just another facet of technology replacing more traditional sources of mental and social stimulus?
The advent of the telephone made face to face interaction less necessary. People could talk to one another without ever having to meet. Television meant people could get the majority of their entertainment without leaving the house. The VCR, DVD, and Blu-Ray meant that the latest films could be watched at home without ever having to go to the cinema. Online shopping, done from the isolation of one's home, means that yet more points of human contact (apart from the possibility of a miniscule chat with the delivery person) have vanished.
Physical isolation has progressed with technology, and whilst the internet is not the sole cause it has accelerated it considerably.